Everlasting Transience
by Pens Are Not Good Weapons
Summary: To live life dependent on the unchanging, constant evanescence of happiness, for it never lasts. When life requires her to decide once more whether to take the leap of faith or remain in the familiar. If she reaches to grasp at fleeting rainbows will they dissipate once more. AU


**_You all_** should know that I do not own Inuyasha.

(Please read)

Truthfully, I don't really know all too much about the manga or anime (watched a few episodes), so I'm working off of wiki notes and other fanfictions. I suppose it's a good thing that this story is AU then. Somehow I got drawn into this pairing, and I think it's because of how these two lonely souls seem to find a kindred spirit in one another.

Please don't be angry that Kikyo might have multiple "pairings" within the fanfiction, because spoiler alert, the endgame is Sesshomaru.

_Warning!_ I'm a sucker for sad romances and bittersweet endings so I'm just cautioning you that this may not turn out to be as light and fluffy as you'd want it to be. But nothing's for sure and I'm still deciding how this story's going to turn out. I'll see when I get there, as I'm only working on chapter two at the moment. I also have a habit of fake-outs (slight sadistic side keke) just to scare people.

There won't be any citrus or anything inappropriate for a child or teenager, as I am one myself, and although I might mention it few times, it will never go beyond the word itself.

I try to flesh out all of my characters so that no one character is all good or all bad, so you might find Naraku a lot less evil than in the anime. Not good, just more justifiable with understandable motives his actions. The "good" characters will, respectively, be more morally ambiguous. The main characters will also be little different from the anime, since this story is omniscient at times and you can read the thoughts of a particular character, kind of altering former perceptions, but I won't stray too far from the canon. I strive to make all the characters believable, but I get how irritating it can be when the characters you love are OOC.

In case you haven't guessed it, Eira is Kikyo (used below. If you want to search up the meaning of the name you can ^^ ). Don't fret, I won't be using that name very often. Some other characters will have different names within the story as well, and that will become a pivotal plot point later on, so it's not just a writer's whim.

I might not update regularly and I will apologize for that beforehand.

Please review, I take constructive criticism in a stride, so don't worry about how harsh it might seem. I'm also fine with grammar nazis. I thoroughly recognize that I am weak in grammar. Whatever the comment, as long as it improves my story or writing ability, I consider it a win. Just please make sure any criticisms, if you choose to do so, are _constructive_ and no flaming. My favorite character is Kikyo and your favorite character might be Kagome, but let's just all be friends and read the story :]

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A pale figure stood unmoving against the bleak backdrop of the weathered London streets. The gray of the city and the black of her coat set up a stark contrast against her fair complexion. From the very start the place had failed to live up to her expectations, not that she liked to travel anyway. Unfamiliar places always made her feel lost, and she much preferred to fall back into the familiarity of her own routine, one she'd followed and depended on for the past twelve years of her mundane, unattractive life. In that sense, this place was very much like her, for they both lacked color and life.

On the other hand, London seemed to possess a very dry sense of humor. Eira was always prepared, almost to a fault. For example, she always packed a week earlier before a trip and she always brought extras, from summer dresses to winter coats, until she realized, she didn't have anything to wear for that last week. However, on this rare occasion, she had left out the one thing she really needed at this moment, an umbrella.

At that moment, raindrops fatter than anything fell to the ground, colliding on the pavement with an audible, rhythmic tap-tap. She merely blinked, keeping her eyes fixed on a spot in the distance known only to her. No, Eira would never let herself be defeated by something so simple. She sighed. Eira. If there was anything that had a sense of humor it would be her name. She never did figure out why her parents had named her with such a distinctly Welsh name when she was obviously of Japanese descent, especially when her little sister was named with the generic Emily. She didn't remember anything at all of her parents and they were utter strangers to her, simply a mere passing presence she acknowledged, no more than the person you sit behind on the subway. However she did give them credit for creating her, appreciative of the nine long months her mother carried her in her stomach.

It had been due to her health that she was sent away to her Grandmother at the age of six. The doctors had said that the fresh air of the countryside might do her some good. Her parents had been unable to move with her due to her father's job and her mother nursing a second child in her stomach. It sounded so odd to call those two people that: father and mother. Father and Mother. Father and Mother. Ken'ichi and Midoriko. Those names were so foreign on her tongue. In any case, she never saw those two people again.

Five years later, the two died suddenly in a fatal car crash and her Grandmother's preexisting illness flared up again. In less than a year, she found herself standing on the front porch of an orphanage with a small suitcase set beside her and another stranger clutching tightly to her right hand, as if she were her lifeline. She remembered wondering how the stranger that was her sister could trust in her so. Then she supposed that was why they were different. Growing up through the most critical stage in her social development with no one but her Grandmother to accompany her had unsurprisingly hindered her abilities to interact with people. With her Grandmother as her only friend gave her deleterious effects in her communication skills. She had often been labeled as socially inept, a slightly nicer way of putting it, by the psychiatrists at the children's home.

It was not entirely true, but she admitted to a part of it. Oftentimes she found it difficult to communicate and find common ground with people her age. In part she had been influenced by her Grandmother, however she also considered that perhaps she'd simply always been this way. She never did like to talk much. In fact, she had found more in common with her Grandmother than with the majority of people her age.

At that time, at age twelve, to the people around her, she was wise beyond her years, with an air of pride and dignity she carried around herself. It was that likeness of maturity that drew the younger children at the orphanage to her, an authority figure who eventually became a surrogate mother.

She may not have had many friends, and considering she was socially inept, she had a remarkable amount of loving, trusting younger siblings that turned to her for the protection and love they so desperately needed. It wasn't so much that she liked standing in for Mother Theresa as it was another part of her. Sure she found the children pitiful, but it was because they _needed her _that made her feel something. It was the fact that someone, anyone would need her that made her _need _them back. The psychiatrists were always on top of her with vice-like grips, trying to tear out the reason why she behaved like this. _'Was it because she was lonely?' 'Because she had yet to come to terms that she was no longer a child?' 'Many children find themselves stuck in the time period that the trauma happened' 'Was it because she saw herself reflected in them?'_

Eira had perplexed people. Those who suffered from losses as sad and jarring as she did took a long time to recover, they lose a piece of themselves, and they spent the rest of their lives trying to make up for it. Most people instilled others to give them pity and empathy, perhaps even love, but she...there was nothing to mourn. People cannot mourn for the loss of something she never had, it was never hers to begin with. Why should she mourn for two strangers? Her grandmother had been suffering for ten long, painful years enduring aches and pains for her sake alone before she finally found her peace. That was all it had been. Peace and rest. It was better that way. If anything, she gained a little sister-a sometimes annoying, but lovable little sister and a comfortable place to live. So why did people still look at her with those knowing eyes and bore into her with those pitiful looks. She didn't understand. She knew exactly that she too had an emptiness, but instead of futilely trying to patch it up, she left it alone. It wouldn't bother her unless she startled it, and for the time being she had Emily's love to fill the gaps. Why trouble yourself with something useless just for the sake of fighting it? Some things are best left alone.

Eira took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the rain as it poured unrelentlessly onto her outstretched hand and the pavement around it. The breath did not relax her nor did the rain cleanse her.

She was not startled. It came as no surprise to her.

Standing there, battered in the rain, the svelte frame of hers was nearly carried away by the much stockier wind. None of the cabs were willing to stop in this location during such heavy rain. She could only hope to try another street further down from the airport or walk to the nearest bus station. _'How far would it be?' _she wondered. It did not bother her. She flipped up the collar of her trench coat, pulled the lapels close to each other, tucked her left hand deep into her pocket, and braced for the cold. With her suitcase trailing behind her, she swerved to take the limited shelter under the overhangs of businesses and shops.

As she walked, she pondered her reasons for being here. Truthfully, her employer had forcefully instructed her to take a three and half month break from her rigorous schedule. Why London? Because she was also here to facilitate a merger between two large airline companies with a complicating third party complaint. Despite involving a third party, it was a job that an employee at her position wouldn't take any more than a month and a half to complete. As for Eira, she could finish the job in less than three weeks.

She had to smile at his misplaced, yet good intentions. As the most promising non-equity partner of one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the United States, Global & Brooks LLP., at age twenty-six, she was on the fast track for success and fortune. In fact, she had already started a retirement fund with a pretty hefty amount stored. She was told that if she would be able to successfully facilitate this deal, her future as an equity partner to the group was sealed in everything except by contract. She was proud of her accomplishments, and she knew it was a big deal, especially since she had received such high praise from her superiors, but in truth, she never cared about the money she made. She had more money than she could ever care to spend, considering she never felt much for material things (or felt much at all really). She was more involved with how high she climbed. She did it simply because she could, but also to prove something. She could never find out what it was that dictated her life.

Eira really hadn't planned it that way. When people asked her why she became a lawyer, they usually asked if it was because she wanted to put criminals that exploited children behind bars, knowing her fondness for them. But then she'd tell them that she wasn't a criminal lawyer, that she only poked around in business dealings. Then they would ask her if it was because she wanted to escape the poverty of the orphanage from whence she came. She would respond, _'The orphanage was publically funded by the government. Although nothing special, it was kept clean and comfortable, and the meals were satisfying, while the people were kind.' _

She didn't understand this either. Why must her so called suffering be the reason for everything in her life? Why are people so eager to hear a sad story? Eira still listened though. She was calm and patient like a placid lake, as she always was throughout her entire life. She would wait and she answer all of their questions and listen until those people had run out of things to ask before they awkwardly left.

Her becoming a lawyer just happened on its own. When she was at the orphanage, she would split her time between looking after the young ones and studying. She only studied because there wasn't much else to choose from. Over time she found that the more she studied, the less children her age payed her any attention, which left her with even more time to study, until it became the reason she woke up in the mornings.

Eventually, she was selected as valedictorian, infuriating the girl who regarded herself as her rival. She didn't know when it was decided, but she guessed that that girl, Tsubaki, had simply declared war all on her own. In all honesty, Eira had thought of the two of them pretty evenly matched. She guessed that it was her background that gave her a bit of an advantage. At first she thought she wanted to be a doctor, though later, she decided to study law simply because she was interested in how well she would do in a field that required extensive human interactions, due to her gaucheness. In the end, she realized that her decision had been a good one. She wasn't all that incompetent at communication, she was only less sociable, and she discovered quickly that her cold, detached nature made being a business lawyer perfectly suited to her. It didn't take long for her to climb, or more akin to leap, up the ladder to where she was now, just one step below the top.

Most of the money she earned went to her sister's education and pretty much anything else she wanted to buy. Eira had the money, there was no point to leaving it turn to dust in storage vaults. Emily wasn't frivolous either, although she was being slowly corrupted by a friend of hers. Kagome was it? Anyway, she didn't mind the girls spending money, it was innocent enough.

The sound of her steps in the puddles, cars noisily rolling across clattering stones, and the raindrops echoing in every street faded and was drowned out by the sound of her own thoughts. Still unconsciously keeping her pace steady as she stepped past small boutiques and wound around outdoor cafe chairs, she mused to herself, preoccupied with her own thoughts.

She really did have everything, she knew this, then why did she still feel so empty? She had a constant boyfriend, a caring sister, a solid occupation, and more than enough money, so why? Here was the very question she had sworn she would never ponder over. That very question that she had proclaimed that only the weak wondered about. Yet, in the last few months, she was gradually becoming less and less capable of pushing it out of her mind. Oddly enough, she was not pleased with her life, but neither was she displeased. Then it lead her to the question all paths seemed to lead her to; is it really living if you do not feel?

This question reverberated in her skull, bounced around synapses never truly settling down. In that moment, she wished she could view the harsh world from the safety of behind the square framed glass of her grandmother's home out in the countryside again.

And in her deep contemplation, she failed to notice the small child charging her way.

"Sesshomaru-sama! We'll be late for the orientation!" a young girl urged.

It was an odd sight for the pedestrians, a small foreign child loudly shouting and tugging the arm of a man who revealed no emotions, and did not look to be blood related. They had only moved to London three months ago and already found that they got a lot more unwanted attention than they had in Tokyo. They had encountered many nosy british people. Ever since they moved into their penthouse apartment in St. John's Wood, they could feel their 'neighbors' peeking at them whenever they entered and left their home. They irritated him and he tried not to show it.

He silently acquiesced to her pleadings and began to walk faster. Sesshomaru was never late for anything. _'They certainly were an odd couple' _He mused in his head. His daughter was bright, bubbly, and outgoing, while Sesshomaru was anything but that. It wasn't all that confusing though, they weren't blood related, which made sense in that in no way did they resemble each other, and he recalled how things came to be this way.

Seven years ago, a woman came to him demanding that she be compensated for him getting her pregnant and for him to take care of her and the child for the rest of their lives.

The woman had been an employee at his company as a secretary for over six years. For six years she sat outside his office, yet he never bothered to learn her name, despite the namecard always displayed before her desk. He knew she was an intelligent and attractive woman, but she had made one stupid, misguided decision. He also knew that her goal from the beginning was to attain this prime position for the sake of seducing him, he simply didn't care. After six years of him barely sparing her a glance no matter what she did to win his attention, she must have gotten fed up. She claimed that he had gotten drunk one late night working in his office and had a child with her, which he knew wasn't true, because firstly, he was not in the least bit attracted to her; secondly, he never got drunk.

Since neither of them had been willing to back down, she made another stupid decision to take the matter to court. He had not been worried about that declaration, in fact, he almost pitied her desperate attempt to play chicken with him.

This type of situation was not new to him. Born to be his father, Inutaisho's legacy, girls jumped at any opportunity to sink their claws into him. Now, at age twenty-nine, he was the richest and most successful bachelor and CEO in Japan, and the number of gold-digging women only grew. He made a point never to visit bars and other places that were part of the dating scene for this reason. As for the suit, all his team of lawyers had to do was pull out the security tapes to shed light on her libel.

Unexpectedly, nearly half a year later, as he was leaving for work in the morning, he opened his door to a crying, mewling, pathetic baby girl, and for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. Without thinking, he bought some baby formula from a market nearby, fed her and changed her diapers, but she wouldn't stop crying and he was confounded. '_Was she sleepy?' 'No, it did not seem like it.' 'Then what could it be?' _Then he did something that even now he could not understand. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms, and almost immediately, her cries stopped. It was in that moment that something spectacular happened. Sesshomaru's heart of ice softened. A flood of memories rushed to his head and he thought of himself, left alone in a sea of bloodthirsty sharks, without someone to stand by him or his mother to comfort him, and his heart ached. Holding the baby close to him, he chose to do something completely uncharacteristic. In a whisper, he named her Rin, so that one day she would become dignified and so superior, that no one dared to challenge her or attempt to hurt her, he would make sure of that, he decided. Never did he imagine what kind of girl she turned out to be and Sesshomaru nearly smiled in amusement at the young, bubbly girl who turned back to him, pouting. Rin ran behind her father and pushed his back to urge him forward. He took her hand and began again.

Sesshomaru knew that Rin had been borne of Kagura, his former secretary, whose name he reluctantly picked up at the trial, but it no longer mattered. From now on, Rin was his daughter and only his. Kagura was merely the woman who gave birth to her. A part of his subconscious had been wary of her, knowing full well that she was the calculating type of woman, and somehow, by taking Rin into his care, he was falling into her trap, but he refused to dwell on that. She seemed to build up stupid decisions and he had no doubt that whatever plan it was, it was bound to fail. What she was doing with that sticky web of hers was her business. Now, only time will tell.

At that time, he made sure to keep the press out of it to preserve his image, which was just as important to his company's stocks as the actual value was. He had managed to manipulate the truth into him adopting the girl out of the kindness of his heart, which was not a complete lie. However, his new image as a humanitarian with a warm heart of gold and those particular words which would forever be memorialized on the cover of Business Weekly nearly made him puke in his mouth. In any case, this highly distorted propaganda managed to boost the stocks. Back then he had to make sure that the real truth was not disclosed. It would cost him greatly. Not to mention, despite his overwhelming success in exceeding his father in all aspects, the board of directors was still eager to catch him in a mistake and throw him out of the company. This time, he visibly frowned as his thoughts traveled to a certain illegitimate son of his father.

'_Inuyasha' _he seethed through his teeth.

The filthy bastard son of his father and a common flower-shop owner still managed to compete with him today, even though he had none of the skills or qualifications to. So why did one third of the board members still side with that bastard (in more ways than one)? It was Inuyasha and his adulterous mother Izayoi who single-handedly brought the company down into the red, and it was because of them that his father had died and his mother had left him, still only a young boy at that time.

Before his father's death, she had wished to take Sesshomaru with her but he had refused. If he left, his father no doubt would've left the entire company to the incompetent, uneducated wretch that Inuyasha was. No, Sesshomaru could not allow that. He would not allow his father's life's work fall to ruin at the idiot's hands. So, he pushed through intense schooling, attained the best scores, and spent the last fourteen years bringing the company out of the red that Inuyasha put it in and pushing beyond boundaries, all the while perfecting the stoic mask that became a part of who he was in order to survive alone in the cutthroat corporate scene. Just like that he plunged headlong into the darkness, cutting his childhood to a premature death, simultaneously throwing his youth out the window in favor of corporate ascension.

One thing he never expected, however, was that no matter what he achieved, it would never appease Inuyasha's supporters. That fool didn't even know what he wanted. One day he studied art, and the other he took psychology, never even completing a single course, yet he still expected to claim succession of the company? He most likely didn't even know that the company primarily dealt with technology and transportation.

He shook himself out of his thoughts, feeling himself nearing unattractive anger. This time, it was Sesshoumaru, who easily outpaced her, who pulled the stumbling Rin to the girls academy before them. Today was orientation day at the school. Sesshomaru wasn't concerned about his daughter's ability to make friends, as she was able to do so instantly, however he still disliked that he had to drag her all the way to London. He never told her the reason why, but Rin assumed it was for business. However, it actually had to do with the case concerning him and her biological mother, Kagura. He had no idea how the media discovered the information, but the press put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Rin was his biological daughter. The worst part was, the more he heard about it, the more believable it was, even to him, despite it being completely falsified. Sesshomaru did not know for sure, but he suspected Kagura. Why she would wait after all these years just to release this information and harm her own daughter was lost on him. Perhaps she wanted the fame. It was more infamous than famous. Nevertheless, there were still people who enjoyed the limelight, regardless of whether it was white or black.

On the other end of the spectrum, the limelight was unwelcome to Sesshomaru and his oblivious daughter. Now, to prevent any further damage to the company he so painstakingly built up, they were forced to lay low until the media storm had passed. He despised himself for giving the board of directors another reason upon the previous reasonless to state Inuyasha as the CEO. If the public interest did not settle down soon, he wasn't sure what would happen in his absence and that worried him.

He tried to keep Rin from catching any whiff of this information. Luckily she was not the prying type. He did always wonder why she never asked about her mother, and he was grateful for never having to explain things to her. Although he would never admit it to anyone other than himself, he admired how quickly his daughter could become friendly with people as well as how intuitive she was, as he knew she understood more than she revealed, sensing his reluctance to divulge any information about his birth parents.

When the orientation ended, he was more than happy to exit the stuffy building. Looking up at the sky, he felt rain begin to fall.

'_When did it not rain in England' _ He smirked.

As he turned it over in his head, he counted a grand total of two clear, rainless days in the entire three months that they had lived here. He wanted to quickly leave for their apartment before the rain came down harder (as he knew it could very rapidly in London), but glancing over his shoulder, he saw Rin playing with new friends and so he waited under the little protection the archway over the gate provided. It wasn't until much later that she came to join him. At this point she was completely soaked, her teeth chattering from the cold, although still with a bright, genuine smile decorating her face.

"You will catch a cold," He said matter-of-factly.

"That's okay," She said cheerily as she smiled brightly.

Sesshomaru frowned marginally, only allowing himself to show the slightest amount of concern openly. Then, Rin sneezed loudly.

She said sheepishly, "Let's hurry, I'm cold."

He shook his head and stood close behind her as she tried to run, shielding her as much as he could with his full tall, regal stature. He now regretted having left the umbrella at home, thinking that a one hour excursion would not require the use of one.

"We'll take a taxi instead," he stated.

As if taking a taxi was enough reason to go hysterical over, Rin jumped happily.

"Stay here," he demanded as he went to the side of the road, lifting his hand up high to hail a taxi.

He was lucky that an empty cab just happened to pass by and it stopped for them. Looking back to call Rin, he realized with a fright that she was no longer there. He searched with his eyes until he saw a small dark figure that resembled his Rin weaving through a few people to where five taxis had gathered. Had she intended to hail one herself?

"Wait here," he ordered to the cabby and left before the operator could protest.

He was about to call to his daughter when he saw her trip on the slippery surface and bowl onto an unsuspecting woman about to entire a taxi. He ran over and quickly pulled the woman's suitcase from the where it had rolled on the street. Unfortunately, the zippers had not held up; the suitcase popped open and out rolled clothes, a tablet, and dozens of important looking papers. He felt dread at that moment, knowing he'd need to apologize to the victimized woman. To add insult to injury, two cars rolled over her things, destroying them before leisurely sauntering away. He managed to salvage a few articles of clothes and papers, but her tablet was beyond saving, already facing judgement at the gates of heaven. He zipped up the now half empty suitcase while holding the things that had spilled onto street, wanting to keep the dirty and clean things separated. He turned back to see a slender, elegant looking woman pulling Rin up and dusting the young girl off.

Suddenly, his Rin started to cry. Sesshomaru was instantly by her side while the woman was still kneeling beside her. Before he could talk, the woman began.

"Why? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked as she checked Rin for any visible injuries.

Aside from scraping her hands, there were no other external wounds that she could see. Sesshomaru's interest was instantly piqued. Her voice was so full of concern that people simply couldn't fake for a girl who had just knocked her over, inadvertently destroyed her things, and lost her her cab. _'Perhaps she simply had yet to notice this' he mused. _

"What's your name?" the woman asked gently.

Her voice befitted her, it was as delicate as she was.

"R-Rin," she got out between sniffles.

"Rin," she smiled, "Such a pretty name."

The girl looked up at the pretty lady. The woman smiled even brighter, succeeding at making her more comfortable.

"Rin, won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Rin hesitant, almost afraid when she said, "I ruined your clothes and your things...w-won't you be angry?"

She opened her eyes wide, full of surprise and incredulously said, as if it were crazy to be mad over such circumstances, "Why would I be angry? They're just things. Things can be replaced. We're both okay, you and I. What else matters?"

Now it was Rin's turn to be surprised. '_So she had known. This is new.'_

The woman's strange reactions was nursing his ever-growing curiosity.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, her words sounding more like a question than an apology.

Rin waited apprehensively for the lady's reply.

"And I forgive you," she readily affirmed as she stood up, patting the girl's head with firm yet gentle, reassuring strokes.

"I apologize for what we've done. What can I do to compensate you?" Sesshomaru said impassively.

Eira turned to face the speaker with the low, regal baritone voice and was shocked by who she saw. For a brief moment she thought she was staring at her longtime boyfriend of nearly three years until she realized that they were not the same person. This man was much taller and had a stoic, elegant composure, both things that the person she knew could never achieve, as she recalled her boyfriend's wild, energetic nature.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes when she jumped a little at her sight of him. She must've noticed because she apologized.

"I'm sorry," she said lightly while shaking her head as if chastising herself, "I just mistook you for someone I know."

Sesshomaru frowned. How many people with silver hair and amber eyes did she know?

"Anyway, it's fine, I'll be fine. I just have to repurchas-"

She cut herself off when she saw the ruined papers in his hands, and despite herself, bit her lower lip.

He knew it was wrong to tease her, especially in this situation, but he couldn't help himself from saying, "Things can be replaced."

Eira had no idea why, but she found this latest development hysterical and laughed. Perhaps it was because her boss had instructed her to have fun for the first two months when trying to take the papers from her, knowing that she would instead work on them. Or maybe it was because he had thrown her own words back at her. She knew he hadn't meant his remark to be humorous. She wasn't really sure what he had really meant, and only hoped the laughter she couldn't help herself from wouldn't offend him.

He didn't know what to expect from her, but he certainly did not expect this. Her bell-like laughter cut through the rain and he frowned even deeper so that now, people could actually see it without needing to look too hard. She was simply peculiar he decided.

He coldly cut her laughter off.

"Why don't you take take that cab with us," he said in a frigid tone while pointing at the taxi still parked along the curb, unsure if his customers intended to return.

Eira hesitated. She didn't know these people that well, and from what she detected in the man's voice, he didn't seem to like her all that much. She must've have offended him, despite having every intention not too. Therefore, she knew that he was only being polite, and to take him up on his offer would only be intrusive and rude.

She raised up her hands, "Oh, there's no need, I'll be fine. Besides, it would be too much for me to ask you to go out of your way to drop me off."

Surprisingly, she read further displeasure from the man. She had done right, so why was he annoyed with her.

Sesshomaru was thoroughly irritated, although he tried not to reveal it, his mask fell apart. He had pushed down his pride to try and redress the trouble they had caused her. Instead of accepting gratefully, she had rejected the offer and put him in the awkward position. The way her brown eyes studied him curiously did not help her case either. There was a tangible tension in the space between them building up with each passing moment. Luckily, Rin walked right between them, blissfully ignorant, and facing the woman, without picking up on the awkward tension, pleaded with her.

"Please? I'll feel bad for a _long _time," adding emphasis on the long 'o'.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat and added to Rin's words, further swallowing his pride.

"It'd be no trouble. It would be wrong to leave without rectifying wrongs. My honor would not permit it," he declared, stoic as ever.

She looked up at the man, surprised at his words. She opened her mouth as if to protest before looking back down at Rin's pleading doe eyes. She was still tugging at the edge of her coat. Then she conceded with a small nod and smile.

"Thank you."

Sesshomaru did nothing to acknowledge that he heard her. He simply took her things and started to the taxi further down the street before he heard her call out to him.

"Wait, what's your name?"

He stopped.

Turning around, he introduced himself politely in the westerner fashion.

"Sesshomaru Saiga."

She smiled and returned in the same manner,

"Kikyo. Kikyo Shizuka."

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What did you think? Review!

By the way, some of the characters' thoughts might be _wrong _since it's from that character's point of view and he or she might be hiding something from themselves. Also, Kikyo is being sarcastic for the most part about socially deficient thing.

Heads up! Naraku will be introduced in the next chapter. I'll update either next week or the week after at the latest.

Thanks for reading :)


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